Ear muff



March 20, 1951 M, s, LEEMING 2,545,552

EAR MUFF Filed Aug. 13, 1949 head covering, I M h covering to positionthem on or remove them from the earof thewearer.

Patented Mar. 20, 1951 ef AIRS MUFF Mason SrLeemirig. Skokie, Ill.Applicatidn'A'iigii'st 13, rsia'sfisr-Nc. 110,147

- ward to handle, interferewiththe wearingof the or require removal ofthe head I Thus it ls one ofthe objects or this invention to providea'device which has no wires or metal tapes to interfere with the fittingof the wearers headpovering or cause unsightly bulges to occur and mar.the appearance of the head covering.

It is a further objectof this inventionto pro- 3 Claims. (Cl.- 2 209)wearer l2.

Each device comprises an ear-envell3 and an upwardly-extending v lliformed gat oneend of member [3' and shown, in this. ipstanceintegraloping 7 member therewith. ear-enveloping member l.3 is.cll

like in design and is shaped substantiallytoponform 'to .,the'shape ofthe. ear I I..., When;th ;de-

Y vice-is worn, the ear H ofthe wearer :is enclosed by member |3, andthe upper end 1.4 ofsthetongue l( I is wedgedbetween the head covering]5 ;of; the

.. wearer and the side of 'J his head .l 6, asgshownlin Fig.3. Themember LiSissnpported in avertical plane -by the top. ill of the ear:and, is supported in atransverse planeby tongue 11.4. ,-.'lhe; memvide adevice which is not bulky or awkward to handle and may be readilypositioned about the ear without first requiring preliminary adjustmentsto be made on the device.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a device whichmay be positioned over the ear or removed therefrom without requiringremoval of the wearers head covering.

It'is a still further object of this invention to provide a device whichis simple and compact in construction, effective in operation,comfortable to wear, and inexpensive to produce.

Further and additional objects will appear from the description,accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, an ear muff isprovided comprising an ear-enveloping member and a tongue upwardlyextending therefrom. The tongue is smooth on both sides and isconstructed of thin, relatively flexible material and. is adapted, whenthe device is worn, to be wedged between the head covering of the wearerand the side of the head.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should bemade to the drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of thedevice.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the device taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cut-away view of the device shown operativelypositioned on the ear of the wearer.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of a modified form of the device.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the modified form of the device takenalong line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 through3, a pair of ear muffs I0, only one being shown, is provided adapted tobe placed individually about the ears ll of the b'erl3 prevents .thedevice.. ,from sliding Withrespect to,.-the.ear. once it has,beenpositioned: thereon. The tongue is bowedeinjslightlysolhat me berl3 will snugly engage the ear. The smooth- .ness and flatness of thetongue enables it to be readily inserted between the hat or headcovering and the head of the wearer without an unsightly bulge beingformed in the head covering. A fabric or fur lining I8 is mounted on theinside of the member l3 which engages the ear and provides warmth andprotection therefor.

A modified form of ear muff I9 is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, wherein astiffening wire 20 is provided at the outer edge of the envelopingmember 2| forming a beaded edge 22, which encircles the ear and causesthe ear to be more firmly embraced by the member. The wire 20 servesalso to retain the proper shape of the member 2|. The tongue 23 is thesame shape as tongue I4 of device I0, but is a separate piece and notintegral with the member 2|. The tongue 23 is sewn, or secured by othersimilar means, to member 2| at point 24 as shown in Fig. 5.

The devices are constructed of durable lightweight, nonporous material,such as leather. It is to be understood, of course, that othermaterials, such as lightweight metal or plastic may be used if desired.

The devices are small and compact and, when not used, may beconveniently carried in a pocket or handbag.

Thus it willbe seen that an ear muff has been provided which enables itto be positioned about the ear of the wearer without requiring the headcovering of the wearer to be removed. Furthermore, a device has beenprovided which will not interfere with the fitting of the head coveringand does not require preliminary adjustment of the device prior to itbeing positioned about the ear.

While several embodiments have been shown above, it will be understood,of course, that the 3 invention is not to be limited thereto, since manymodifications may be made and it is contemplated therefore, by theappended claims, to cover any such modifications as fall within the truespirit and scope of this invention.

Iclaim:

1. An ear-protecting device for use with a head covering comprising a.cup-like member shaped substantially to conform to the periphery of anear and engageable therewith and having a flanged top portion extendinginwardly from the upper portion of said member fo engaging the top ofthe ear to prevent downward movement of the cup-like member on the ear,and a wedgelike tongue firmly united with said flanged top portionextending upwardly from the outer edge of said top portion; said tonguebeing thin and uninterruptedly smooth on both sides and wedgeablebetween a head covering and the head of the wearer.

2. An ear-protecting device for use with a head covering comprising acup-like member shaped substantially to conform to the periphery of anear and engageable therewith and having a flanged top portion extendinginwardly from the upper portion of said member fo engaging the top ofthe ear to prevent downward movement of the cup-like member on the ear,and a wedgelike tongue firmly united with said flanged top portionextending upwardly from the outer edge of said top portion; said tonguebeing thin and uninterruptedly smooth on both sides and wedgeablebetween a head covering and the head of the wearer, said cup-like memberbeing provided with an insulating lining.

3. An ear-protecting device for use with a head covering comprising acup-like member shaped substantially to conform to the periphery of anear and engageable therewith and having a flanged top portion extendinginwardly from the upper portion of said member for engaging the top ofthe ear to prevent downward movement of the cup-like member on the ear,and a wedgelike tongue firmly united with said flanged top portionextending upwardly from the outer edge of said top portion; said tonguebeing thin and uninterruptedly smooth on both sides and wedgeablebetween a head covering and the head of the wearer, said cup-like memberbeing provided with stifiening means adjacent its edge.

MASON S. LEEMING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Switzerland May 20, 1914

